I-You
For Buber, the mode of existence of the human subject, or I, is always determined by how I address the world. If I approach the world as You, then I am in relation with the world. That means I am immersed in the present, and the world and I are working together to make reality. This is the mode of existence that Buber associates with spiritual fulfillment and reciprocity with the world.
I-It
The I-It is the other mode of existence of the human subject. If I approach the world as It, then I am perceiving the world as an external object. Rather than being involved with the world directly, I am at a distance and think of the world as something to use or experience. This is the mode of existence Buber associates with technology. In order to design the world or shape it to make my needs, I have to treat the world as an object to be used rather than a partner in a relation.
Socrates and Goethe
Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher known for what has become the Socratic method, which is about learning through dialogue. Goethe was a famous German author from the late 18th and early 19 centuries. His novels similarly put characters into dialogue and conversation. Because of their interest in reciprocity and truth being developed not by an individual but in relation, Socrates and Goethe together symbolize the I-You relation. That they are from different cultures and different historical eras shows that this relation is not historically or culturally specific, but, as Buber says, “resounds through the ages.”
Eternal You
The eternal You is Buber’s name for God. With God, “unconditional exclusiveness and unconditional inclusiveness are one.” God is exclusive because, like any You, we are completely and only immersed in this one relation. But in this case, the You is everything, the whole world and all of time. So we are consumed by the You but there is nothing excluded from it. We are immersed in a relation that includes all.
